This invention relates generally to a manually operated pump sprayer mountable to a container of liquid to be sprayed, and more particularly to such a sprayer as having a weighted dip tube to ensure the emptying of substantially the entire contents of the container as the weight follows the bottom wall of the container during spraying. Also, the weight at the free end of the dip tube maintains the suction end of the dip tube wetted in the liquid irrespective of the attitude of the sprayer package during operation, i.e., upright, inverted, downwardly tilted, upwardly tilted.
There exists a wide variety of dispensers, both pump and squeeze bottles as well as nursing bottles, having wetted dip tubes for maintaining the suction end of the tube immersed in the liquid within the container irrespective of the container attitude during operation.
However, for weighted dip tubes to be effective for manually actuated pump sprayers and dispensers which are mounted to filled containers using today""s high speed filling and assembly equipment, the weighted dip tube must be restrained to facilitate rapid installation. The flexible tubes which are weighted at their suction end would otherwise become entangled with the assembly equipment and would drastically slow down the operation.
There is therefore a need to better handle the weighted dip tubes to accommodate their rapid insertion into liquid filled containers with the use of high speed filling and assembly equipment.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a manually actuated sprayer having a weighted dip tube which is initially stored in a retracted or collapsed condition such that upon the mounting of the dispenser to the container, the collapsed dip tube is automatically extended within the container, while at the same time utilizing a ballast weight of any shape and standard design.
In keeping with this objective, releasable means for holding the weighted dip tube in its collapsed condition without the need for a specially shaped or designed ballast weight is provided such that as the holder does not engage the ballast weight but rather underlies it or engages the flexible tube. Relatively sliding first and second members telescoped about the collapsed tube are provided for releasing the holder upon a mounting of the dispenser to the filled container whereupon the ballast weight extends the tube when released thereby avoiding any entanglement with high speed assembly equipment.
Otherwise, the holder may be soluble in the liquid to which the sprayer is mounted for releasing the ballast weight after mounting the dispenser to the filled container.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.